It has been well known that a silver halide color photosensitive material forms a dye image by an imagewise exposure of the photosensitive material to light and a color development of the material. The dyes in the obtained image, such as indophenol, indoaniline, indamine, azomethine, phenoxazine and phenazine dyes are formed by a reaction of an oxidized aromatic primary amine color developing agent with a coupler in the color development.
In general, the quality of the obtained photographic image is not perpetual, and is gradually degraded while the photograph is preserved. A color photograph having an image made of an azomethine or indoaniline dye is particularly apt to be degraded. The degradation of the image is caused by a fading or discoloration of the dye image or a discoloration on a white ground (yellow stain), when the photograph is irradiated with light for a long term, or preserved at a high temperature and humidity.
The degradation of the image quality is a serious disadvantage. An improvement is desirable to overcome the disadvantage.
A color photograph generally contains cyan, magenta and yellow dye images. Each of the dye images has been independently investigated to stabilize the photograph. The magenta dye image has been particularly well investigated. The yellow dye image has not been so well investigated as the magenta dye image, since the yellow dye image was relatively stable compared with the magenta dye image. However, the stability of the magenta dye image has recently been so much improved as the results of the investigation that a fading or discoloration of the yellow dye image now becomes remarkable. Accordingly, it is now desirable to stabilize the yellow dye image.
The use of a color image stabilizer has been proposed to improve the stability of the yellow dye image to light, heat or humidity. For example, hindered amine derivatives and phenol derivatives are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,452,884 and No. 4,465,765, and Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 54(1979)-48535, No. 59(1984)-3433, No. 59(1984)-5246, No. 59(1984)-87456, No. 61(1986)-2151 and No. 61(1986)-86750; spirochroman derivatives are disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 59(1984)-52825; and amines other than hydrazines are disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 63(1988)-149642, No. 63(1988)-149643, No. 63(1988)-149645 and No. 63(1988)-163347.
In order to improve the stability of a yellow dye to light or heat, the compounds disclosed in the above-mentioned publications have an effect on the dye to some extent. However, the effect is relatively weak or is accompanied by a bad effect on the quality of the photograph.
Further, the use of hydrazine derivatives is proposed in European Patent No. 255,722 and Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 63(1988)-220142. The compounds disclosed in European Patent No. 255,722 react with a developing agent which remains in a color photosensitive material after the development process to remove the remaining developing agent, which causes a fading. Accordingly, the effect of these compounds on dyes to prevent the fading is weak because they do not directly reacts with the dyes. The compounds disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 63(1988)-220142 have some bad influences on the the quality of the photograph. For example, they inhibit the color development reaction of a coupler or cause a fog within the unexposed area.
In contrast to the yellow dye image, various color image stabilizers have been proposed to improve the stability of the magenta dye image. Most of the color image stabilizers do not have any effect on the yellow dye image, and has the effect only on the magenta dye image. Moreover, many of the color image stabilizers adversely accelerate the fading of the yellow dye image.